Tractor test

Deutz-Fahr, John Deere, Kubota and Steyr

The little guys go large

This month we plunge into the sub-100hp end of the market and take a look at a mixed bag of four 75hp stockman-style tractors, to see how they compare. Here we focus on the tractors themselves, while in our May magazine we turn the spotlight on to their loaders

Practical test

Spread the GPS way

Comparison of section control systems on four fertiliser spreaders

Given that most makers now offer section control on their fertiliser spreaders, we thought it high time we compared mounted offerings from four of the top brands — Amazone, Bogballe, Kuhn and Kverneland

Driving impression

Krone EasyCut B 870 CV Collect mower

Big goes small-ish

Until recently the Krone wide-belt grouper was only available on the company’s flagship EasyCut B 1000 CV Collect mowers. Now, however, this grouping option can be specified on the smaller 870, a model that we tucked into a crop of ryegrass destined for an AD plant

Kuhn FC3160 TCD centre-pivot mower

Swinging both ways

Last season Kuhn decided to freshen up its trailed mower conditioner offering with the introduction of the FC3160 TCD. This 3.0m machine replaces the French firm’s FC313 side-pull and centre-pivot models

Siloking 4.0 Selfline Premium 2215 feeder

Meals on wheels

The self-propelled diet feeder market in the UK is best described as small, but it’s starting to grow. One of the front runners is Siloking, which is sold by Kverneland in many countries. Siloking’s latest generation Selfline uses a Volvo Penta engine, and here’s our initial impression

Slurry gigantism

Vredo VT 6018-3 slurry spreader

You may well start to see more Vredo machines at work in the UK, as the Dutch manufacturer is one of the firms hoping to fill the gap left by the Challenger TerraGator. We take a look at the Trac flagship, the VT 6018-3

New office

Challenger RoGator RG635D self-propelled sprayer

The last time we studied the Challenger RoGator in any detail was as part of our self-propelled group sprayer test in 2012 (09/2012 and 10/2012). Since then there have been a number of changes, now including this introduction of the fourth generation ‘D’ series

Livestock equipment

Pellon bull feeding system

Contented bulls, happy farmer

Investing €55,000 in an automatic feeding system for beef cattle might seem like a bold move, especially at a time when margins are slim all the way across Europe. We visit a German beef farmer who’s convinced his money has been wisely spent

Used machinery

McCormick XTX/TTX tractors

Simple and affordable … but are they a sound used buy?

Here we take a look at buying used McCormick XTX tractors, focusing mainly on the Italian-built XTX145, XTX165 and later XTX185 simply because these are now the most readily available. We also touch on the higher powered XTX185, XTX200 and XTX215, which subsequently morphed into the TTX series when their production switched from Doncaster in the UK to Italy in 2008

Workshop

Speedy Grease System

No springs attached

A novel way to deliver grease to farm machinery has been creating a bit of a stir. Imported from Italy by Suffolk-based TD Agri, the Speedy Grease System sets out to save operators time and hassle — we see what it can do

Machine management

Contractor newbie

Go niche or go home

Setting up in agricultural contracting is a tough game, particularly when you factor in the level of investment required. But four years in, Bedfordshire operator Matt Redman believes he’s carved out his niche. We take a look at how he’s gone about the job

Around the world

Monsanto spends big on planters / Fresh Fastrac hits Aussie shores / New sales down and a healthy supply of used equipment / Brick cleaning by the bucket full

Report

Trikes in Holland — part II

Back on trike

Last month we spoke with two Dutch farmers who run trikes with the aim of reducing compaction. This time we’re looking at other trike outfits that, for a few weeks each spring, can be spotted out working the fertile Dutch Polders

News

The profi Tablet edition

Taking the Tablet

… edition of profi international costs a miserly extra £5.50/€6.60 to add to your existing magazine subscription. It would seem a no-brainer when you consider what you get for your money

Under the hammer

Arden sale, Chester

Going, going …

A reassuring number of buyers, from Preston to Poland, attended a restructuring sale at Chester. Only a few items failed to meet their reserve, so perhaps the temperature is, at last, starting to rise in what has been a fairly lukewarm used market

 

Iveco truck with Tebbe HS220 spreader

All aboard the muck truck

They say necessity is the mother of invention. And so it proved for a German machinery maker, who needed a high-output spreading and loading combination that could be operated and transported between sites by just the one driver. His resulting monster muck truck, along with its two subsequent incarnations, is the subject of this report

 

 

UK contractor charges

This is the National Association of Agricultural Contractors’ (www.naac.co.uk) charge guide, based on info supplied by its members last spring. The figures are only a guide and assume a red diesel price of 60p/litre. Prices will vary according to UK region, size of job, type of equipment used etc